Any other hobby entomologists here?

[Perris]

Interesting thread, thanks for starting it. I have a growing interest in the topic. This is a dragonfly I managed to photograph earlier this summer; it's a Broad-bodied Chaser.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Interesting thread, thanks for starting it. I have a growing interest in the topic. This is a dragonfly I managed to photograph earlier this summer; it's a Broad-bodied Chaser.
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Great pic, Perris!

 

[TOMTE]

Thanks.

I didn't get a good photo of it but the other day my son and I witnessed a rare bug, Mydas Fly, it was so cool. Sort of looked like a dragonfly/butterfly flying but was larger than my thumb but sort of flew like a beetle would.

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WOW! I've seen a few of those flying around the past couple weeks or so but they never want to land for me!

 

[TOMTE]

Interesting thread, thanks for starting it. I have a growing interest in the topic. This is a dragonfly I managed to photograph earlier this summer; it's a Broad-bodied Chaser.
View attachment 3919624

Those wings are absolutely gorgeous

 

[Apis mellifera]

I'm not an entomologist but I am a beekeeper (just as good!). I've had millions of bees over the years!

 

[CoopBoots]

I'm not an entomologist but I am a beekeeper (just as good!). I've had millions of bees over the years!
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Oh my gosh, so cool!! Is that a swarm about to leave?! I've never seen one that BIG

 

[TOMTE]

What kind of bug is this?! HAHAHA Poor tiny thing got a cold shower while I was spraying down the bird feeders

And 2 leaf-footed bugs (Acanthocephala sp.), an adult and a nymph. Plus the adult's final molt still stuck to the sunflower stalk

 

[TOMTE]

I'm not an entomologist but I am a beekeeper (just as good!). I've had millions of bees over the years!
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AWESOME! I'd love to keep bees someday

 

[Apis mellifera]

Oh my gosh, so cool!! Is that a swarm about to leave?! I've never seen one that BIG

Not a swarm, just a mid season strong colony.

 

[TOMTE]

Now that I'm thinking about beekeeping...

I love honey but I'm not supposed to have it (I'm on a low FODMAP diet for suspected IBS)... And I really would love to help the native bee population.

Honeybees are invasive in the United States and are a big part of the decimation of native bees and other pollenators here. So it would be cool to research structures for housing our native pollenators, caring for those instead!

Has anyone here ever looked into that? Might be a fun collaborative project!

I have a small bug house that mud daubers and paper wasps, and some mason bees love to use. I'm planning on nailing it to the outside of the chicken run. But I want to do something on a large scale eventually to help out the species that are most beneficial and struggling to make it because of the competition from honeybees!